


ghosts notoriously love halloween

by hi_hello_hey_there



Series: you don't have to say i love you (to say i love you) [7]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Adventures in Tagging, Flynn is Doing Her Best, Gen, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, life with ghosts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27341827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hi_hello_hey_there/pseuds/hi_hello_hey_there
Summary: "I like your laugh."
Relationships: Alex & Flynn & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie, Alex & Flynn (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn & Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn & Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Series: you don't have to say i love you (to say i love you) [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1942267
Comments: 9
Kudos: 208





	ghosts notoriously love halloween

**Author's Note:**

> Beta read by: Cassie! I love this lady so much! Check her out on tumblr at [findingsofafangirl](https://findingsofafangirl.tumblr.com/) and [academia-and-politics](https://academia-and-politics.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Happy (late) Halloween and enjoy!

Flynn’s life used to be normal. She used to wake up in the morning and get ready for school, put together a bomb outfit, eat breakfast with her parents, and walk to Julie’s house so she could hitch a ride with the Molinas. After she started driving, even though it had been a short month and a half, it was driving home from school with her best friend, screaming the lyrics to their newest favorite song, and going to get Starbucks on the way. She had her insecurities, the people that got on her nerves, her struggles. She worried about tests and presentations. She constantly went toe to toe with Carrie Wilson in defense of Julie and herself. She laughed at Carlos’ jokes, cried at the end of  _ The Notebook _ , and helped Mr. Molina with dinner on the nights she was over there. Everything about her was one hundred percent ordinary.

And then her best friend had to go and join a ghost band. Well, if she’s not contradicting her own logic, the ghosts joined her band, but she digresses. It led her to situations like the one she’s in now. Instead of going straight home, she and Julie had decided they needed to gather things for their Halloween costumes. Really, it was Flynn’s fault for bringing it up when she knew the guys were around.

“Halloween?” Luke had sounded like he was nearly vibrating over the chords he was plucking. "I _love_ Halloween!"

“You think we could get costumes, too?” Reggie was all too excited if the rapid repetition of a single note on his bass was anything to go by.

An inquisitive tapping had started up and Alex added, “Well, we can change our clothes. Wouldn’t hurt to try.”

So the boys had joined them at school that day, walking around the campus and mostly content to entertain themselves but Julie had told her at lunch that Reggie had showed up in her History class. “They’re here,” Julie announces when she climbs into Flynn’s car. “Let’s go!”

Flynn starts the car, whooping her elation, and they get going. She turns out of the school parking lot and makes her way to an artsy part of town and this little thrift store Flynn’s mom had introduced them to. The music filters lightly out of the stereo accompanied by a distant humming she knows is the guys. She reflects on exactly when three ghosts sitting in her backseat became her new normal. It takes them a short twenty minutes to get to Lucinda’s, the quaint building’s pink awning fluttering in the afternoon breeze.

“Who’s paying for parking?” she jokes at the back seat. Julie starts laughing and Flynn can imagine them scrounging around in their pockets. “Kidding. They don’t charge for parking before five o’clock.” She climbs out of the driver’s seat and turns back to grab her purse only to see it floating in front of her. “Thanks.” Again, this new normal of hers is  _ weird _ .

“So, I have the skirt and the knee highs, but I still need the turtleneck and a pair of shoes and maybe a little bag. What about you?” Julie leads the way into the shop, holding the door open for Flynn and the guys. It must look strange to others, her just standing there waiting for no one.

She shakes her head free of those thoughts so she can answer. “I have the shoes and my cousin had the headband, so I need the dress and an ascot.” Her eyes catch on a shelf of wigs. “Oh, and I got the orange “color depositing” conditioner you suggested so we’ll see how that works.” They head towards the corner of the store that houses women’s clothes and start searching. Flynn’s eyes scan for anything purple or lime green, hoping to find something quickly. She’s not a huge shopper and actually hates to buy for herself. She’s only just latched onto a lacy green scarf that could work when she hears squealing.

“Oh my god! Look at these!” Julie comes running around to the rack she’d been looking at, holding a truly astonishing pair of bright red mary janes.

“They’re perfect!” Flynn matches her enthusiasm. She knows finding these things is difficult; she almost couldn’t believe her luck when she found an old pair of her mom’s kitten heels in the exact shade of green she needed.

“Hey, that dress looks to be about your size, yeah?” Julie points down the aisle a little and Flynn spots the perfect long-sleeved purple dress. She grabs it off the rack and follows her best friend around in search of the shirt she needs. Eventually Flynn's eyes latch onto an orange top that happens to be just the right thing. They make their way to the dressing rooms to try things on.

They finish changing at nearly the same time and meet each other in the common area outside of the rooms to look in the mirrors. “Wow, babe! How do you do it?” Julie somehow pulls off a frumpy orange turtleneck and makes it look stylish, the shoes shining cherry red in the store’s fluorescents.

“Me? Look at you!” Julie reaches for her hand and spins her around, admiring the flowy dress and the gauzy green scarf tied around her neck. “This is amazing! I can’t believe we found everything we need.” She pauses, eyes flitting to the right where the couches are placed in a semicircle for guests, assumedly to pay attention to the guys, before scoffing. “Yes, it’s your turn now.” She turns back to Flynn. “Carlos has been showing them some old cartoons and they want to be the Rowdyruff Boys.”

“That’s awesome!” She directs her next statement to the guys. “Let me get my normal clothes back on and then I’ll help.”

Soon, they’re setting off to find a pair of red pants for Luke, a fun green ensemble for Reggie, and some blue shoes for Alex. It’s a bit of a show, trying to argue with ghosts about how “no, you cannot cut the sleeves off this shirt, Luke” or “no, Alex, you do not need another hoodie” and even “Reggie, put that down!” but they finally make their way to the register. Their arms piled high with not only Julie and Flynn’s things, including their clothes and a cute orange clutch Julie found, but also a red sweatshirt with sleeves, red checkered pants, a killer pair of jeans with shiny black stripes up the sides, blue vans, a hunter green tank top, and a camo bomber jacket. All in all not a bad haul and not too expensive either.

Once they’ve checked out, they pile back into the car and head straight for a McDonald’s. “I’m exhausted,” Flynn says after they get their food. She takes a long, slow sip from her strawberry milkshake as Julie dips a french fry in her chocolate one.

“Me, too,” she responds.

There’s a tap on Flynn’s shoulder and she’s shocked to hear Alex speaking without the usual assist of music. “Thanks for everything,” he says, sincerity making his voice soft. “Me and the boys are really excited. Halloween is our favorite.”

And okay, Flynn thinks she can deal with ghosts if they act like this. Maybe she can get used to this new normal.

~ ~ ~

Flynn cannot deal with this and she will never get used to this new normal.

She’s in Julie’s en suite bathroom the morning of Halloween, standing in the tub fully clothed and combing the orange dye through her hair with her fingers while she hopes it won’t stain them, when she hears a crash and a shout of “Dude!” She would run out to see what’s going on but she doesn’t want to accidentally color the Molinas’ house orange as she goes so she settles for eavesdropping.

Alex continues his tirade, “We’re, like, pretty solid now. We have to be more careful!”

“It’s not my fault!” Luke shouts back. “Reggie bumped into me!”

“Hey!” Reggie protests. “I did not!”

“Yeah, you were trying to mess with another one of Julie’s things.” Alex sounds exasperated, as he usually does when he berates the boys. Flynn snorts.

Luke splutters, trying to come up with a retort and finally settles on repeating, “It’s not my fault.” There’s a pout in his voice and she can practically see Alex gearing up for another spell of rambling.

Julie interrupts just as Flynn reaches for a paper towel to wipe her hands off on: “Children, children! Listen!” Everyone falls quiet and Julie hums contentedly, the sounds of  _ Hocus Pocus _ playing from her laptop the only other sound in the room. “Good. Now stay this way.”

It startles a genuine belly laugh out of Flynn before she grabs the shower head to rinse out the excess conditioner. She can’t stop even though it wasn’t  _ that  _ funny but that’s how it goes when you’re recovering from your world being flipped completely upside down and your best friend says something mildly funny. She puts the shower head back and tries to stop herself from throwing up, doubling over with the effort.

Reggie walks into the bathroom to use the mirror so he can fix his hair and Flynn notices the green of his outfit really complements the blue-gray of his eyes. He's smiling fondly at her when he says, **“I like your laugh.”** Only these boys would say something so endearing while completely ruining her perception of the world in the process. She reaches for a towel and steps out of the tub, watching as he slicks back his dark hair.

“Thanks. That’s sweet of y-” That’s when her brain catches up to her and she realizes she can  _ see Reggie doing his hair _ . The scream that comes out of her mouth is unparalleled by any sound in the material world and it causes not only Julie to come running, but the other two as well. She hasn’t stopped yelling as she points around at the boys, trying to form a coherent thought and failing miserably.

“Can you- can you see us?” Alex asks, an astonished smile crossing his face. Her scream fizzles out and she’s left with a heaving chest as she nods frantically. “That’s amazing!”

“Okay, hon,” Julie walks towards her and takes Flynn’s hand to put it over her own chest, keeping it there with her hands. “Match my breathing. Let’s not hyperventilate.” It takes her a few minutes to completely calm down but looking the guys each in the eye without them playing any music is  _ very _ disconcerting. She finally gets her breath under control, but doesn’t let go of Julie’s hand just yet. “Good?”

“Yeah,” Flynn says, looking at each of the guys again. “It just really frightened me, that’s all.” Alex gives her a small encouraging smile and she turns to Reggie, asking, “Can I try something?” He nods his assent and she steps towards him, chanting  _ solid solid solid _ over and over again like a mantra in her head. She reaches her arms out and all at once, she and Reggie are hugging.

A giggle makes its way out of her throat when he starts breathing a little faster like he can’t quite believe it, his arms tightening around her automatically. “Let me in!” Luke chuckles, piling in to her right. Alex joins from behind her and she may feel a tiny chill, but it’s worth it to finally get to thank the people who pulled her best friend out of a bad place in the best way she knows how. Flynn tries to keep her tears at bay and she mostly succeeds, only one making its way down her cheek as she adjusts her grip so she’s grabbed onto all of them. Julie sniffs behind them and Flynn nods her head for Julie to get in on this and everything feels right in the world when her best friend joins.

Yeah, Flynn’s life used to be normal, but she wouldn’t trade the world for this or for them.

**Author's Note:**

> I spent the day yesterday watching movies, including the Kenny Ortega Halloween _classic_ that is Hocus Pocus, and playing among us with my cousins and sister. What did you guys do during your quarantine Halloween? As always, prompts are open from [this list](https://p0ck3tf0x.tumblr.com/post/98502010026/one-hundred-ways-to-say-i-love-you) excluding 7, 10, 12, 19, 31, 33, 37, 38, 39, 41, 44, 49, 53, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 82, 83, 86, 91, 92, 98, and 99. You can drop a comment here or send a message to either of my tumblrs (linked below). I'm more likely to see a message to my main blog than my side one, but whichever works for you. Thanks for reading! I love you, lovelies!
> 
> main: [hi-hello-hey-there](https://hi-hello-hey-there.tumblr.com/)  
> side: [toziers-token](https://toziers-token.tumblr.com/)
> 
> love, blue


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